I am the Reverend Christine Dance and it is my great honor to serve as the Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, this creative, compassionate and courageous congregation.
My ministry is deeply rooted in the belief that ours is a faith that can transform the world. I believe in creating spaces where we can each discover what has meaning to us and I believe that our congregations create courageous spaces where we can live into our best values and practice how to be in Beloved Community so we can take those values out into the wider world.
I was called to be UUCP’s minister in May of 2019. I have a Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. I was ordained by the First Unitarian Church of Orlando (FL), served a year-long internship at Tri-County Unitarian Universalists in Summerfield, FL, and served a chaplaincy internship in the Advent Hospital system in Orlando during the summer of the Pulse massacre.
Prior to entering the ministry, I was a professional facilitator, leading innovation, strategy, and brainstorming sessions for Fortune 500 companies. I had a 30-year career in marketing, communications, product development, and innovation. Before that, I was popular with our sons’ friends due to my job as the Brand Manager for Hasbro Toys, overseeing the Pokemon, Batman, Transformers, and My Little Pony lines. I also worked for American Greetings as the Manager of Communications.
I have lived in Toledo, Springfield, and Cincinnati, Ohio; Fairfax, Virginia; Madrid, Spain; and Orlando, Florida. Living in Spain as a teenager and graduating from the American School of Madrid informed much of my world view.
I am married to my amazing wife, Karen. We have two grown sons and love spending time with them and their significant others. At home, we keep busy with our four cats and two dogs. We love camping, hiking, working on our home, entertaining, and traveling.